Investigation of charm-quark hadronization in proton–proton collisions

Measurements of different charm-hadron species, particularly the yield ratios as a function of transverse momentum, provide unique insights into heavy-quark hadronization. In this contribution, the recent results of charm production in proton-proton (pp) collisions at $\sqrt{s}= $ 5.02 and 13 TeV, collected during Run 2 by the ALICE experiment, are presented. The observed baryon-to-meson yield ratios differ from predictions where the hadronization has been tuned to measurements in $\rm e^{+}e^{-}$ and ep collisions for various charm-baryon species. These findings suggest that the universality of fragmentation fractions is not validated and that baryon-to-meson ratios are dependent on the collision system. Additionally, first studies of charm-hadron reconstruction, $\rm D^{+}$, $\rm D^{+}_{s}$ and $\Sigma_{\rm c}^{0,++} (2520)$ using the large data sample of pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}= 13.6$ TeV from Run 3 at the LHC are also included, providing further inputs in understanding charm-quark hadronization mechanisms. Comparisons between the measured meson-to-meson and baryon-to-meson ratios with novel theoretical calculations will also be discussed.